February13, 2013

ìI applaud Mayor Parker for stepping up to address the longtime problem of a rape kit backlog in Houston,î said Rep. Poe. ìNearly 7,000 unprocessed rape kits currently sit on dusty shelves in Harris County. I urge the City Council to allocate money for this important cause.î

ìSenator Cornyn and I are also working to address this problem on the federal level. We have introduced the bipartisan Sexual Assault Forensic Evidence Reporting (SAFER) Act of 2013 in the House and Senate.This legislation will help law enforcement process rape kits and bring an end to the rape kit backlog. Victims of violent crime should not have to live in fear while the perpetrators go about their everyday lives. Letís get this done.î

Congressman Ted Poe (TX-02) is a Member of the House Judiciary Committee; Founder of the Congressional Victimsí Rights Caucus and a former Harris County Criminal Judge andprosecutor.